5 Star Luxury The History of the Over the past one hundred years, the Culloden has proved to be one of the finest and most luxurious hotels in Ireland. In 1996, the Culloden became the first hotel in to be granted 5 star status. Over the course of the years, many Culloden additions and developments have been undertaken at the hotel and in more recent years, a fabulous Health Club and Spa have been added, which includes a pool, a range of leisure and fitness activities and 8 Spa treatment rooms offering a wide estate and Spa range of body, beauty and relaxation treatments using the famous ESPA range of products. After several major renovations and extensions, the hotel now boasts 105 deluxe bedroom suites, 11 luxurious self-catering apartments, 6 private banqueting suites Famous Guests and a luxurious Spa!

The hotel is also the first choice of any VIPs coming to - politicians, pop The Culloden Estate and Spa stars and sporting heros! Former guests include, Tony Blair, Tom Jones, Dolly Parton, Sir Cliff Richard, Lenny Henry, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Pat Cash, Sir James Galway, Sir Richard Attenborough, Shirley McClaine, Christopher Plummer, Bono “Built for a Bishop, fit for a King” from U2, Westlife, Ronan Keating, Robbie Williams, Ainsley Harriot, Michael Ball, Chris Rea, Kenneth Brannagh, Alan Whicker, John Major, Lionel Ritchie, The Corrs, Lloyd Grossman, Ben Elton, Howard Keel, the English Football team captained by David Beckham, the French Football team and the Irish Rugby Team!

Culloden Estate and Spa, Bangor Road, , Belast, BT18 0EX T. +44 (0) 28 9042 1066 F. +44 (0) 28 9042 6777 E. [email protected] From Palace to Hotel During the 1920’s, the Church sold Culloden House to the late Sir John Campbell, a celebrated Belfast gynaecologist and Member of Parliament. In April 1959, Culloden House was purchased from Sir John’s son, Robert Campbell for the sum of £10,000 by Ulster farmer, Mr Thomas C. Reid, who was then Chairman of the Northern Ireland Ploughing Association. The house then was bought in 1962 by Mr Rutledge White of White’s Home Bakery Limited, and was opened as a hotel, comprising of 11 bedrooms the following year, under the management of Mr White’s son-in-law, Mr Roberts.

Introduction A Bishop’s Palace

Today, the Hastings Culloden Estate and Spa is one of Northern Ireland’s finest Mr Robinson died in 1884 and the property which he had named “Culloden House”, and most distinguished hotels, but not everyone is aware that this majestic Gothic in honour of his wife, was conveyed by his widow, Lady Elizabeth Jane Culloden, mansion is steeped in history! to the representative Church Body of the Church of Ireland. The Culloden was built in 1876 by a Mr William Auchinleck Robinson, JP and So at the end of the 19th Century, Culloden House came to be the official former MP. It took two and a half years to complete, and most of the stone came residence of the Church of Ireland Bishop of the Diocese, and was known as the from Scotland by boat, arriving in the County fishing village of Bishop’s Palace. Previously the Bishops had resided at “Ardtullagh”, a residence and being brought to the site by horse and cart. at Knocknagoney near Holywood, but this property was bought in 1886 by the War Department for use as Barracks. The Barracks are still in use today by the British Mr Robinson carefully chose his site in Cultra within the townland of Craigavad, Army and are known as Palace Barracks. The Hastings’ and only 6 miles from the centre of Belfast. He was conscious of the fact that its situation on the Eastern side of had certain climatic advantages. The Bishop of Down, Dromore and Connor, the Right Reverend Thomas James The site benefited from the shelter of the Holywood Hills, and the cold North and Willand took up residence in Culloden House in 1898. In subsequent years, three Connection North-easterly winds seemed to lose their strength as they crossed the expanse Bishops lived at the Culloden, and possibly four, as it is not clear whether Bishop The Hastings Hotels Group purchased the premises of the Lough before reaching Craigavad. Consequently the locality’s temperature CTP Grierson ever lived there or not! During the tenure of Bishop John Baptist Crozier, in June 1967, and over the course of the years, under the was about 3 degrees higher than in Belfast! a private chapel, the Jeremy Taylor Memorial Chapel, was dedicated within the house. During the period when Bishop Crozier was Bishop of the Diocese, the famous enlightened direction of Dr Billy Hastings, the Culloden has musician, Percy French often stayed at the Palace. In fact, Bishop Crozier was been transformed in size and luxury. It is of course pleasing that actually Godfather to Percy French’s second daughter! the extensions have not detracted from the hand-cut stonework of the original building, and the chapel which was dedicated over a hundred years ago, is today used as the hotel’s bar!